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Field Marshal El Sisi, who is widely expected to be Egypt’s next president, was greeted at the airport by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, ahead of the exercise codenamed Zayed 1.

The defence minister emphasised the depth of bilateral ties between the countries, the state news agency, Wam, reported.

Joint military exercises between Egypt and the UAE began this month.

The exercises focus on theoretical and practical training modules on sophisticated weapons.

Joint training and tactical manoeuvres aimed at boosting operational readiness and response according to goals set by the leadership of both countries were also planned.

A presidential election in Egypt is expected next month. Field Marshal El Sisi is favourite to win it, although he has not formally announced his candidacy.

On Sunday, he announced that the Dubai contractor Arabtec had won a US$40 billion contract to build a million low-cost homes in Egypt.